Venmo – A Kinder Gentler PayPal

I was a customer of PayPal’s rival, X.Com back in 1998, and was happy when they merged with PayPal. Since PayPal’s acquisition by eBay, at least from my point of view, everything’s gone down hill.

As someone who markets products and services via web sites, PayPal is a necessary evil. As more and more customers refuse to use PayPal, however, the need for a real challenger grows.

I was recently exposed to Venmo, and have been pleased with what I’ve seen so far. The interface is simpler than PayPal’s and seems to be simpler to use. Venmo has added a social trust dimension to exchanges, as well as the ability to pay each other using handheld devices (PayPal’s original business).

Using SMS text messaging, people can send money to each other’s Venmo accounts. It’s very cool! You can also embed payment widgets into your WordPress, or other web / blog site:

My Book Picks

I really like the Amazon widget below. It allows me to share books that I have found enlightening and entertaining.
I'm a voracious reader, so getting my picks down to these few was not an easy task. Enjoy!